Page:Nollekens and His Times, Volume 2.djvu/365

Francis Hayman, Historical-painter, one of the first members of the Royal Academy, a native of Devonshire, and a pupil of Brown, the artist, first resided in Craven-buildings, Drury-lane; next in Prince's-court, Westminster; then in St. Martin's-lane; and, finally, in Dean-street, Soho, in a house now divided into two, Nos. 42 and 43.

In the early part of Mr. Hayman's life, he was employed at Drury-lane Theatre, as a scene-painter, and was afterwards engaged by his friend Mr. Jonathan Tyers, to decorate the Rotunda and other parts of Vauxhall Gardens; but his best works, and those by which he is most publicly known, are his designs for the Adventures of Don Quixote. In 1755, Hayman etched a small quarto plate of Quin, the actor, in the character of Falstaff, seated on a drum, in a swaggering attitude, with his right elbow resting upon the hilt of his sword, by the side of the body of Hotspur. This is a truly spirited production, and is so rare, that the only impression known to collectors is the one the artist gave to his friend, the late President of the Royal Academy, in 1770, and which was,